Tube closure



June 22, 1937. G. F. sEAsHoRE TUBE CLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 31, 1935 fJaUemor gnnarkgeasbare g /o/'J i ne civ iff/K191i June 22, 1937. G, F. sEAsHoRE TUBE CLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 51, 1935 f/D om for' @Unna/*F feas/:0r6

5y bis Az'zzaf/Oe 6 www Patented June 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'rune cmsuna Gunnar F. Seashore, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application omhaa1, 1935, serai Nn. 41,594 11 claims.' (cl. zal-so) My present invention provides an extremely simple and highly eillcient closure for receptacles such as collapsible tubes for containing semifluid materials, such for example, as tooth paste or shaving cream. The novelty resides chiey in the discharge neck of the tube or receptacle and the co-operating closure cap, whereby important advantages. hereinafter set forth are attained.

A commercial form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is an enlarged view in elevation with parts broken away showing the invention applied to a collapsible tube such as above noted;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 but illustrating different positions of the parts;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fie. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. l, some portions being broken away; and

Fig. 'l isa view corresponding to Eig. 6 but illustrating a slightly modified form of the cap.

The collapsible tube 8 is formed with the customary relatively rigid conical crown end 9 that terminates in an externally threaded discharge neck I0. As an important feature of the invention the neck is provided with a disk-like valve head II that is formed integrally with and oiset axially above the extreme end of said neck so as to aiord a substantially annular discharge passage I2. This valve head II is formed lntegral with the neck I0, being rigidly connected thereto by a plurality of radial ribs or webs I3. The said neck structure and valve headrare, in practice, integrally formed by being stamped or pressed from a piece of pliable metal, such as lead or some of the comparatively soft lead alloys, from which also the crown portion 9 is adapted to be formed by a single operation. The punch of the die will simultaneously form the neck passage, the ribs I3 and the valve head II. In fact, the valve head is formed by a portion punched out to form the passage through the neck I0, and hence, is of the same diameter as the passage in said neck. The discharge passage I2 is therefore formed by the offsetting of the valve head I I from the extreme end of the neck.

Working with threaded engagement on the neck Ilis acap Il, theouterendofwhlchis inwardly flanged to form a valve seating surface ISfthrough which opens the iinal discharge passage I. Thedischargepaage limaytake various forms but in any event will be of less 5 area than the valve head I I so that when the cap is screwed down on the neck, the upper peripheral edge of said valve head will be seated against the valve seating surface I5.

Here it is important to note that when the 10 cap is screwed down to close the tube, as shown in Fig. 2, there will be no fiat or extended contact between the valve head and valve seat but the former will engage the latter only at its upper edge and with substantially a. circular line conl5 tact. This will cut oir the discharge of the contents from the tube without caging any of the paste or tube contents between contacting surfaces. It has been found in practice that where a cap and a valve structure engage each other m with an extended atwise contact, peste will be caged between the contacting surfaces preventing a sharp cut oit of the discharge and leaving lodged between the surfaces substance which when dried, frequently causes the cap and neck g5 structure to be stuck together making opening diiiicult. Moreover, with the applicants improved closure structure the cut oi of the discharge of the paste is very close to the final discharge passage and to the extreme outer portion of the cap 30 which prevents accumulation of paste outward of the valve head.

As a further important feature the cap Il is provided with al skirt-like ange II that extends outward of or substantially ush with the ex- 35 terior of the tube. In the present instance the crown of the tube being conical, the flange I1 is also made conical to closely follow' the crown. Preferably, the perimeter of the flange I1 is knurled and the knurled portion is slightly pro- 40 jectedbeyond the diameter of the tube so that it may be more readily engaged by the thumb and lingers of a hand, as shown in Fig. 1, by reference to which it will be observed that the tube can be conveniently held in one hand and the 45 cap operated to open and close the tube manipulated by the fingers of the same hand. This is a decided advantage because it leaves the operators other hand free for manipulation of a tooth brush or the like.

In the preferred arrangement the cap Il is so proportioned that its valve seating surface I5 will seat against and make seating contact with the upper peripheral edge of the valve head I I while the flange I1 is still slightly spaced from 55 theconicalcrownofthetubeandthecap Mis made of semi-ilexible or yielding material which valve surfaces;- are sealed. cap ymay be made off any kind of material' having the desired resilient or yielding characteristics. but hard rubber has proven satisfactory for the purpose. If, however, the cap is formed ofmaterial not having the desired resilient or yielding characteristics the use of a suitable gasket between the cap and flange of the valve head 'is' recommended.

In the structure just considered, see particularly Fig. 6, the final discharge opening i6 in the cap is round but in the arrangement shown'in Fig. 7, the ilnal discharge passage ita of the cap is in the form of an elongated passage or slot.

In practice it has neen found that the improved closure structure described may be made at a very small cost and that the entire neck structure, including the neck l0, crown 9, valve head Il, and ribs i3, may be formed by one stamping operation produced by properly constructed dies. VThe threading of the exterior of the neck i and of the interior of the cap il will usually be produced by separate operations.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the invention described is capable of modicatlon as to details of construction and arrangement'of parts within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed'.

What I claim is:

1. A container having a discharge neck provided with an axially located disk-like head spaced axially therefrom to afford a discharge passage, said head having a relatively sharp valve-acting annular edge, and a valve-acting cap applied .to said neck for axial momevents in respect thereto and having an axial discharge passage outward of and of less diameter than the said disk-like head, said cap having an annular valve-acting surface surrounding the discharge passage therein, the said annular valve-acting surface of the cap having, when the parts are drawn axially together, complete ilat surface to sharp edge contact with the valve-acting edge of the disk-like valve head, but being spaced from the valve head except at the place of flat surface to sharp edge contact.

2. The structure deiined in claim l in which said valve head is located entirely outward of said neck and has the same diameter as the passage in said neck, and circumferentially spaced ribs connecting said valve head to said neck,

said ribs being integrally formed with the neck and valve head.

3. The structure defined in claim l in which said cap is formed with a skirt ilange terminating approximately at the exterior of said container.

4. A container having a discharge neck provided with a disk-like valve head spaced therefrom and projected outward thereof to afford a discharge passage, and a cap having threaded from the can flange when are `in sealing contact.

engagement on said neck and provided with an inwardly projected valve seating ange overlapping said valve head, the outer perimeter of said head havingan annular edge, the said annular edge of the valve head being arranged to engage and makeannular line sealing contact with the valve seating ange at a point closely adjacent the ilnal discharge passage formed by said ange, said annular edge ,being the only point of contact of the head with the valve seating iiange of the cap, other parts of the head being spaced the edge and flange 5. The'istructure dened in claim 2 in which said valve head is located entirely outward of said neck and is of the same diameter as lthe passage of said neck.

6.Y The structure defined in claim 2 in which said valve head is located entirely outward of said neck and is of the same diameter as the passage of said neck, and circumferentially spaced ribs connecting said valve head to said neck, said ribs being integrally formed with the neck and valve head.

7. The structure dened in claim 4 in which said cap is formed with a skirt iiange terminating approximately at the exterior of said container.

8. A cylindrical container having a conical end portion provided with an axial discharge neck of reduced diameter, a valve-acting cap screwthreaded onto the discharge neck, said cap having a substantially axial discharger passage, said' cap and neck having co-operating valve surfaces adapted to be brought into sealing engagement under screw-thread action of the cap in respect to the neck to close the container, and said cap being formed with a. skirt flange terminating approximately at the cylindrical exterior of the container.

9. The structure dened in claim 8 in which the said skirt flange of the cap is conical to conform to the conical end portion of the container and terminates apprommately at the cylindrical wall of the container.

10. The structure defined in claim 8 in which the said lskirt flange of the cap is conical to con'- fonn. to the conical end portion of the container and terminates approximately at the cylindrical wall of the container, said cap, neck and cap ange being vso proportioned that the conical surfaces of the cap flange and container will be brought into sealing engagement just after seal` ing engagement is accomplished between the said cooperating valve surfaces.

11. The structure defined in claim 8 in which the said skirt flange of the cap is conical to conform to the conical end portion of the container and terminates approximately at the cylindrical wall of the container, said cap, neck and cap flange being so proportioned that the conical surfaces of the cap iiange and container will be brought into sealing engagement 4just after sealing engagement is accomplished between the said cooperating valve surfaces, and said cap being formed of suiliciently resilient material to pery mit engagement of the conical cap flange with" the conical surface of ,the container after the cooperating valve surfaces have been brought into sealing engagement.

GUNNAR F. SEASHORE. 

